Say, what's a nice-looking dump like you doing in the middle of an ocean like this?

HOW the theory of the Pacific's plastic heart ended up holding just a little too much water.

Lisa Millar on ABC1's Lateline on October 29, 2009:

A TEAM of environmental adventurers led by the exuberant David de Rothschild is building a boat out of plastic bottles. Towards the end of November they'll set sail under the Golden Gate Bridge, and head for a rubbish dump, about 1600km from here in the middle of ocean: it's a plastic soup of waste . . . known as the Eastern Pacific Garbage Patch . . . It's bigger than Victoria and NSW combined and was documented for the first time a decade ago.

Patch imperfect. The Sydney Morning Herald on January 6:

ENVIRONMENTAL scientists have been criticised for exaggerating the size of an "island" of plastic waste said to be swirling around in the Pacific Ocean, after a study found it was 200 times smaller than claimed. . . . In reality, the "island" often could not even be seen from the deck of a passing boat, said the analysis by Angelicque White, professor of oceanography at Oregon State University.

Number of times de Rothschild mentioned the "island" when he eventually arrived in Sydney, according to AAP on July 27, 2010:

ZERO.

Tim Flannery on ABC1's Eating the Future, September 1998:

MUCH of Australia is rangelands, unsuitable for growing crops, but ideal for meat production. Kangaroos and emus are the only large land animals that are perfectly adapted to this country. Both have the potential to be harvested sustainably and profitably over vast areas of the continent -- and they taste good too. . . . We can either continue to eat at our country's expense or we can find ways to feed ourselves that's in tune with its nature.

Don't have a cow. Flannery quoted on the Kangaroo Industry Association of Australia website:

UNFORTUNATELY for our environment this attitude prevailed throughout our settlement -- the land was wrong and had to be changed into how a good European farm should be, the animals should be removed and replaced with good European animals. Along the way we have caused huge damage to our fragile grazing lands. It's only in recent times that the concept of utilising this land with the animals that belong here has emerged. Doing so has the potential to deliver enormous environmental benefits.

Evolution of the menu. Story in The Land on November 18, 2009:

ENVIRONMENTAL scientist Tim Flannery believes large animals like cattle and sheep are essential to restoring the health of the planet and reducing greenhouse gas levels. . . . The forum at which Flannery was speaking last week was organised by Meat and Livestock Australia in a move to get on to the front foot in the increasingly noisy debate about whether people should become vegetarians to save the planet.

The future is at steak. Flannery in The Brisbane Times, August 9, 2010:

IT is argued by those who oppose meat-eating that cattle produce methane, and therefore a better strategy would be to destock the rangelands altogether. But is it really desirable to abandon use of the world's rangelands at a time of perilous food security? Furthermore, if the rangelands were to be destocked and left unmanaged, it is likely that fire would burn the vegetation, which would lead to more carbon entering the atmosphere and huge increases in nitrous oxide. I believe . . . livestock represent a potent weapon in the fight to stabilise our climate.

Let it beef. AAP story on August 10, 2010:

FLANNERY on Tuesday addressed a forum hosted by Meat and Livestock Australia on the future of grazing in a changing climate and amid rising concerns over greenhouse gas emissions. He said large herbivores such as cattle had replaced huge marsupials that roamed Australia more than 40,000 years ago and had restored balance to the ecology.

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